Preparing for the Messiah

Jesus Christ’s return to Jerusalem will be the pivot point of human history. God has been preparing for it from the beginning. His prophets foretold of it for millenniums.

Some of those prophecies specifically describe a work of preparation that would take place in the days immediately before the Second Coming.

Through the Prophet Malachi, Christ says, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me …” (Malachi 3:1). Here was a human being God would use to make ready for His return in specific ways in the end time.

Christ further inspired Malachi to compare this “messenger” to an end-time type of the Prophet Elijah: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5).

In describing events that would precede His Second Coming, Christ prophesied that the gospel of the Kingdom of God would be preached as a witness to all nations (Matthew 24:14). Given the size and populace of the modern world, such a monumental undertaking would require a considerable organization, aiding and amplifying the efforts of that “messenger,” the end-time Elijah.

The role spoken of in these prophecies was fulfilled by Herbert W. Armstrong (request A Pivotal Sign of the End Time for proof). He led a powerful Work that spread God’s truth to millions globally. Mr. Armstrong preached the gospel and sponsored humanitarian work in nations across the globe.

His greatest affection, however, was for a tiny country at the heart of the world: Israel (biblical Judah). And of all the cities he visited, Jerusalem was his “chief joy.”

In fact, a great deal of this end-time Elijah’s preparation work revolved around the city to which Jesus Christ will return.

A Focal Point of Preparations

Between 1967 and his death in 1986, Mr. Armstrong met more than 30 Israeli leaders, including five prime ministers and four presidents. With some of these individuals, such as Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek, he developed a warm, mutual friendship.

In one four-year span, Mr. Armstrong visited Jerusalem 50 times. He understood the stunning vision surrounding this city, and that understanding fueled his efforts. Through this man’s work, God was showing His focus: God’s mind was on Jerusalem. He knew how important it was for Mr. Armstrong to have this vision and to share it with Church members, radio listeners, television viewers and Plain Truth subscribers.

In April 1967, Mr. Armstrong signed a deal with the Jordanians to air the World Tomorrow program on Radio Jerusalem. At this time, the Jordanians still controlled East Jerusalem. In a co-worker letter, Mr. Armstrong described this contract as “the one greatest most exciting news announcement in the history of our broadcasting Christ’s gospel to the world”—and said it would enable him to reach the soon-to-be “capital of the world!” (April 17, 1967).

However, the door slammed shut. The Six-Day War broke out, the Jews took over the whole of the city, and Mr. Armstrong was unable to broadcast there.

Even though what he wrote in that co-worker letter never happened, I still like to go back and read it from time to time. Never has Mr. Armstrong been more into a work! He had an epic overview, bringing the entire history of God’s Work into it. He wrote how Christ’s gospel message had not been proclaimed in Jerusalem since a.d. 69. But he also understood that God had chosen Jerusalem to be His eternal capital! He had God’s perspective on this city’s past and future.

He quoted Isaiah 2:3: “[O]ut of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” “I wonder if you realize the thrilling part, the Eternal God has actually called you, personally, to have in fulfilling this tremendous prophecy!” he wrote. “Listen! For this affects you, individually!” Powerful words!

What love and excitement Mr. Armstrong had for Jerusalem—even Jerusalem today. He had an infectious vision and excitement. His love for this city and its people inspired affection and admiration in those with whom he met. That is what the love of God can do and the impact the Jerusalem vision can have.

And he was an example for us. The work Mr. Armstrong began still needs to be completed, and God’s Church today will do it! But we won’t do it well if we lack his spirit and excitement about Jerusalem.

It was during his last visit to this city before his death that Mr. Armstrong finished his greatest work. “My new book, Mystery of the Ages, is now in the hands of the printers,” he wrote in a letter to co-workers. “I finished the very last of writing it in Jerusalem the day before yesterday” (May 16, 1985). How appropriate that he finished writing his magnum opus, which explains the whole Bible, in God’s city!

Though Mr. Armstrong never broadcast in Jerusalem, he did participate in what he called “the most important archaeological excavation of our time” there. He saw this as some of the most important preparatory work for Christ’s return. And this work continues to this day.

An ‘Iron Bridge’ Partnership

Following Israel’s victory in the 1967 war, Hebrew University launched a massive archaeological dig—one of the most significant ever undertaken in Jerusalem: an excavation of its newly acquired territory near the Western Wall in the Old City.

The deans of faculty at Ambassador College, which Mr. Armstrong founded, took immediate interest in the project. Mr. Armstrong visited the excavation and was deeply impressed. He was invited to meet with the head of the dig, archaeologist Benjamin Mazar, and other Israeli leaders in a private room of the Knesset. Mr. Armstrong said the welcome he received was so warm that he found it “inspiring, astonishing and most unusual.”

A relationship of mutual trust quickly developed between the excavation leaders and Mr. Armstrong’s team. Professor Mazar and Dr. Josef Aviram, dean of the College of Humanities at Hebrew University, visited Ambassador College’s campuses in California and Texas. Soon, though the archaeologists had rejected three other major American universities seeking involvement in their project, they offered Ambassador College a 50/50 joint participation. On December 1, 1968, Mr. Armstrong visited the presidential palace in Jerusalem, where he met with the Israeli president and dig leaders. Tourism Minister Moshe Kol proposed “an iron bridge” between Hebrew University and Ambassador College “that can never be broken.”

“It was a memorable—perhaps an historic—meeting with President Zalman Shazar and our Israeli friends,” Mr. Armstrong wrote. “On that date we formally entered into the joint participation with Hebrew University and the Israel Archaeological Society” (Good News, February 1979; emphasis mine throughout). It certainly was historic—in a way most people cannot even understand! In fact, more than that, it was prophetic. And what a hope-filled prophecy!

The following May, in 1969—1,900 years after the Jerusalem church had fled to Pella—50 Ambassador students traveled to Israel to volunteer on the excavation. In a December 10, 1968, letter, Mr. Armstrong wrote that the dig was important because “we are preparing the way for Christ’s coming as King of kings and Lord of lords—as world ruler, to set up the government of God to rule all nations—and to save the whole world!” He said the dig prepared for the Messiah by proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom, by making ready a people, and by clearing away the filth and rubble that has built up over thousands of years—at the very spot David’s throne is soon to be placed!

Mr. Armstrong saw the future of glorious Jerusalem as capital of the universe! He even told those leaders about it! What a marvelous, inspiring, uplifting vision.

The “big dig,” as it became known, continued nearly 10 years, providing hundreds of Ambassador students the opportunity to touch the remains of ancient Jerusalem. In addition to providing enthusiastic student laborers, AC also shouldered half the cost of excavations from 1968 until the dig concluded in 1978. After that, Mr. Armstrong supported City of David excavations directed by Dr. Yigal Shiloh.

A second goal of this “iron bridge” partnership was to bring the children of Jerusalem together—Jew, Arab and others—to learn the way of peace. Thus the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation supported Jerusalem’s International Cultural Center for Youth (iccy)—a building in the city’s heart to promote friendship between Jewish and Arab youths. Mr. Armstrong heartily endorsed the dream of seeing children of all nations and ethnicities living and playing and growing together in the way of peace.

Mr. Kol saw the connection between Mr. Armstrong’s life’s work and the youth center. “In honor of his continued dedication to the programs and the goals of the iccy,” he wrote, “and for his success in building bridges between leaders of nations to promote peace in the world, the Board of Directors of the iccy has named the square at the entrance of the iccy building in Jerusalem the Herbert W. Armstrong Square.” Visitors to the upscale German Colony today can still see the stone plaque at the edge of the square.

Later, in connection with the same dream, the Ambassador Foundation helped fund the construction of Liberty Bell Park, specifically the children’s playground at its northern entrance. Thus, Mr. Armstrong’s name was stamped on two great symbols of hope for the future of the children of Jerusalem.

The spirit of “the Eternal has chosen Jerusalem” was in that work! “Almighty God is concerned about what is happening at Jerusalem,” Mr. Armstrong wrote in the February 1979 Good News. “He has opened the door to Jerusalem for His apostle. … God Almighty chose Jerusalem as His city. Then, because of the sins of the nations Israel and Judah, God finally hid His face from Jerusalem—but He ‘… shall yet choose Jerusalem’ (Zechariah 1:17) and ‘… shall choose Jerusalem again’ (Zechariah 2:12).”

When Mr. Armstrong died in January 1986, Professor Mazar wrote, “During the years of our association with him, all of us developed the highest regard for his wonderful personality and qualities. His deep devotion to the ideals of peace and justice in the spirit of the biblical prophets was appreciated by his friends in Israel. His feeling for Israel and Jerusalem was manifested in his true interest in the archaeological excavations near the Temple Mount and in the City of David. His name will always be attached to this most important undertaking carried out in Jerusalem.”

Behold Your God!

Isaiah prophesied of how preparations for Christ’s return would center in Jerusalem: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). John the Baptist fulfilled this in type before Christ’s first coming (John 1:23)—but the primary fulfillment was in the end time by Herbert Armstrong. And among those preparations is this commission: “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, Get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, Lift up thy voice with strength; Lift it up, be not afraid; Say unto the cities of Judah: ‘Behold your God!’” (Isaiah 40:9; jps).

“A message (Isaiah 40:9-10) is yet to go by a servant of God to the cities of Judah,” Mr. Armstrong wrote. “In whatever way God wills, it shall go” (Plain Truth, October-November 1980). He thought God would use him to fulfill this prophecy, and he worked diligently to that end. He knew a servant of God had to do it in this end time. God prophesied so!

Still, though Mr. Armstrong had a gigantic impact in Jerusalem, he was unable to fulfill entirely this commission to Judah. Clearly the job was not complete before he died.

The Philadelphia Church of God is working earnestly to carry on the work Mr. Armstrong started. Through this small but powerful Work backed by the great God, good tidings are reaching Zion and Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah can hear God’s “Behold your God” message—today, right now!

We have maintained an office in Jerusalem for many years now. We publish a bimonthly magazine, Watch Jerusalem, and an accompanying website, watchJerusalem.co.il, with news and archaeology articles aimed at the people of Judah, and it has a growing audience in that nation. We have penetrated parts of the area around Jerusalem with our television program, which Mr. Armstrong was never able to do.

We have also followed in Mr. Armstrong’s footsteps and continued digging in Jerusalem. Though that “iron bridge” partnership included many different ventures, everything flowed from the archaeology project. We have continued that partnership, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018! Since 2006, our college, Herbert W. Armstrong College, has sent more than 57 diggers to Jerusalem to work with Prof. Benjamin Mazar’s granddaughter, Dr. Eilat Mazar. We have participated in every one of Dr. Mazar’s excavations in the City of David and on the Ophel. Our students comprised most of the laborers on Dr. Mazar’s most recent dig in 2018, which we also fully funded.

During this time, Dr. Mazar has discovered some of the most stunning and important artifacts I believe have ever been uncovered anywhere. She has unearthed evidence of King David’s palace (where David’s throne was), King Solomon’s royal quarters, the governor Nehemiah’s wall, the seals of two Judean princes mentioned in Jeremiah 38, and a gold menorah medallion and bronze coins. Most recently, she discovered the seals of King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet.

Most great archaeologists finish their career having not found even 1 percent of what Dr. Mazar has uncovered! And we have had the opportunity to be involved in some of her greatest discoveries. Consider what she has accomplished by using the Bible as her guide, and the message in her archaeology, and you see that God has been using her to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! These artifacts contain a “Behold your God” message! (You can learn more about this in our free booklet Seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah Discovered and our reprint article “Archaeology Thunders: ‘Behold Your God!’”) We are removing the rubble from the very location Jesus Christ will return to and establish His eternal government!

Isaiah 40:9 is being fulfilled now! This prophecy shows Christ’s return is imminent. We are already announcing God to the cities of Judah. That is a wonderful message: introducing the new King who is to rule Jerusalem for 1,000 years and beyond! You don’t introduce someone unless he is about to appear!

How blessed we are to be a part of this Work and these prophecies! Why do we send students to Jerusalem to dig in the dirt? Because the Eternal has chosen Jerusalem! This is the only hope for Jerusalem—and for all mankind! Isaiah does more than just call it “good tidings.” He says, “Behold your God!” You can put an exclamation point after that, maybe two or three or four!

God is grieved by the tragedies befalling Jerusalem today, but He has chosen Jerusalem! He is going to fulfill all the great prophecies and promises He has made.

God is clearly getting His people focused on Jerusalem. That dig helps us keep our minds there. Our projects in Jerusalem are directly connected to God’s exciting future plans for this city.

This is spectacular knowledge, and when we understand it as we need to, we will be even more thrilled about our projects in this city. If we can catch this vision before Christ returns, we will be given a magnificent reward. “Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him” (verse 10). God has a mind-staggering reward for you if you do His Work.

Why the Laodiceans Fell Prey to Satan

After Mr. Armstrong died, tragedy befell God’s Church. The people who took over after him abandoned his work in Jerusalem. They forsook the truths he taught and the gospel message he proclaimed. They stopped his humanitarian work and destroyed all that he had built.

The Church of God entered what is called in Revelation 3:14-22 the “Laodicean” era. It is an era characterized by spiritual lukewarmness, blindness, poverty and nakedness. Fully 95 percent of God’s people—individuals who were destined to be in His Family—turned their backs on God.

This tragedy was prophesied by the Prophet Zechariah. Here the leader who replaced Mr. Armstrong is spoken of symbolically as “Joshua.” “And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him” (Zechariah 3:1). This is a shameful picture of Satan actually taking control of this man!

And this evil Joshua represents the entire Laodicean era of God’s Church. (I fully explain this in my free book Malachi’s Message to God’s Church Today.) The whole era has been taken captive by Satan—that includes 95 percent of God’s own people.

Now, look how God addresses this disaster: “And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” (verse 2). Most of the Laodiceans will be plunged into the Great Tribulation, where 50 percent of them will repent and be plucked out of the fire. The other 50 percent will die forever in the lake of fire.

But notice: Right in the context of this lawless end-time type of Joshua who is in bondage to Satan, God talks about choosing Jerusalem. Why would He do that?

This astonishing scripture reveals why this evil Joshua and the Laodiceans became captives of Satan and how we can avoid falling into the same trap.

Here God pinpoints the reason Satan was able to take the Laodiceans captive spiritually! What would cause a group of people who had everything to give it all up for nothing? They lost sight of a spiritual treasure they had been given—one of the greatest visions in the Bible: the vision of the Eternal has chosen Jerusalem!

God tries to rescue these lost sons by imploring them to direct their minds onto Jerusalem. He is trying to get them to see the vision they have lost. The Laodiceans fell into serious trouble because they stopped focusing on new Jerusalem. They quit thinking like God. God’s mind is continually set on new Jerusalem: His entire plan is built around new Jerusalem. But Joshua and his followers allowed their minds to stray from God’s vision. That led to what is probably the worst disaster in the history of God’s Church!

God in His love warns Joshua and the Laodiceans about losing this vision in the context of their rebellion. He has the strongest desire for them to overcome the devil. He gives them every opportunity. He is telling them what they have lost and what they must recapture if they are to be in His eternal Family! Their salvation is at stake! Scriptures show that even those Laodiceans who repent in the Tribulation—though they will assist Christ in the World Tomorrow (Revelation 14:1-4)—will not have a headquarters office. They will lose that magnificent part of their eternal reward! What an eternal price they must pay for their failure—even the 50 percent who repent in the Tribulation.

We must learn from their example and work diligently to capture the deep vision of new Jerusalem! Do we see how real these promises are? And how costly it is if we fail?

God mentions choosing Jerusalem three times in this context (Zechariah 1:17; 2:12; 3:2). This is a strong theme of the book of Zechariah. Always remember that God has chosen Jerusalem!

God is also telling us that if we want to avoid being deceived, then we must understand the vision of new Jerusalem. The devil attacks us continually, grinding on our emotions and seeking to drag us into despair and discouragement. If you lack this vision, you will not be close to God, and Satan will be able to drag you down and overwhelm you in many ways, even conquer you.

We must overcome as Christ overcame (Revelation 3:21), and He overcame the devil (Matthew 4; Luke 4). The “Eternal has chosen Jerusalem” vision can help us overcome. We are going to conquer the devil or be conquered by him depending on our understanding of this vision. And the Laodicean example teaches us that we will not understand it if we refuse to be ruled by God. We must listen to heavenly Jerusalem and grow in our understanding of this wonderful message. That brings genuine happiness!

If you want to live an exciting, positive, hope-filled life—if you want an inspiring outlook and a joy like no other—then you need God’s view of Jerusalem. You must anchor your mind in this inspiring hope. “For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof …” (Zechariah 3:9). God wants to engrave this vision into our minds so we never forget. It must be at the foundation of our thinking!

Only the pcg has this majestic vision. This is why we dig in Jerusalem. God wants us to remember that we are His unique remnant. We need to think deeply about why our Father wants to get our minds to embrace new Jerusalem. The fact that we think about this the way God does shows we are His sons! We, like our Father, have chosen Jerusalem.

‘Fathering’ a Work in Jerusalem

Here is another of Isaiah’s prophecies tied to our Jerusalem work: “And it shall come to pass in that day [the end time], that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah” (Isaiah 22:20). Eliakim is a type of my office today. This man is prophesied to follow Hilkiah, fulfilled by Herbert W. Armstrong. But it gets much more specific.

“And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government [the government of the rebellious leader of the Worldwide Church of God at that time] into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah” (verse 21). This Eliakim is going to be a father of the house of Judah! That certainly means he must do a major work there. And the implication is that it carries on from Mr. Armstrong’s work. Eliakim is the father of a work in Judah—and mainly, Jerusalem—that was founded by Hilkiah. There is more work that must be done.

If God commissions us to do a work, He has to open doors to make it possible. Throughout history, God has always supplied the people doing His Work with the tools, advantages and opportunities they need to succeed! Today, God is ensuring His true Philadelphians have enough resources to finish this work in Jerusalem and to keep our sights set there.

Hosea 11:12 prophesies of the relationship between the Jews and God’s people: “Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.”

Lange’s Commentary has the best translation of this: “Judah still vacillates with God.” They are wavering and indecisive, and even that word is not strong enough. Many other prophecies reveal Judah’s sins, and expose how they are rebelling against God (Hosea 5, for example). Still, the Jews do have some admirable qualities and demonstrate a certain character—at least in the past, and even to this day more than a lot of nations, including America and Britain. And here God says Judah is “faithful with the saints.” This is a prophecy about our activities in Jerusalem.

How have the Jews been faithful to God’s saints? More than anything else, with archaeology! Everything we have done so far in Jerusalem revolves around the archaeological project.

I believe this trend will continue in the remaining work we do in Judah. I expect the Jews to “remain faithful” in supporting our digging there. And the archaeological work we have done and continue to do powerfully proclaims the thunderous “Behold your God!” message the Jews need as God prepares them for the coming of the Messiah!

A Message From God’s House

In addition to archaeology, God is using a second tool to keep His people focused on Jerusalem in this end time: Armstrong Auditorium.

Zechariah 5 is an important chapter. As I explain in my booklet Zechariah—The Sign of Christ’s Imminent Return, it applies directly to God’s Church. It discusses two women, one of whom represents God’s Laodicean saints who have rejected God’s government, and the other an obedient and faithful remnant that loves God’s government.

Verse 9 shows how the faithful woman uses an ephah, or measuring device, to do God’s Work. This is a companion scripture to Revelation 11:1, which shows God giving a measuring device to the leader of this faithful group. The ephah represents God’s truth, which is used to measure all of us. And what is the work this faithful woman will do, specifically? “To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base” (Zechariah 5:11). Shinar here is another term for Babylon, which the Bible uses to symbolize the evil world before Christ’s return—the world we are living in today (Revelation 18). Zechariah 5:11 is a prophecy about a woman, or Church, that will build a house for God’s truth in the time before Christ’s return.

Zechariah 5:11 foretells God giving His people the job of constructing a building specifically intended as a house for His truth, which will ultimately measure the whole world. (You can read more about this in my Zechariah booklet.)

On December 7, 2007, God revealed to me, through the prophecy in Zechariah 5:9-11, that He wanted His faithful remnant Church to build Him a house. And that same day, God also further impressed on my mind the importance of the “Eternal has chosen Jerusalem” vision. I had not understood the depth of this vision before that date.

It is no coincidence that God revealed these two golden nuggets of revelation on the same day. God linked these two subjects in this way because God’s house is a type of the temple in Jerusalem. God’s house and new Jerusalem are intimately connected. We have built a spectacular structure that points people toward new Jerusalem, God’s eternal house, and shows them that the Eternal has chosen Jerusalem!

Since we built Armstrong Auditorium, God has provided this Work some wonderful opportunities. We have housed two world-class exhibits there. In 2012, we began showcasing the “Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered” exhibit. That exhibit was a warning message to the world and Jerusalem about the captivity that is about to befall them if they fail to deeply repent! For three years, we welcomed people into God’s house and taught them about the history of Jerusalem, a history that also provides ample warning about what is soon to come. In June 2018, we began displaying another exhibit, “Seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah Discovered.” This reminded us of just how close Jerusalem was to certain destruction in the time of King Hezekiah. But God spared His chosen city in a miraculous way, showing how He loves this city! This exhibit powerfully reminded us that the Eternal has chosen Jerusalem!

This is God’s message, and it resides in God’s house.

The Eternal has eternal goals. God’s goal is to get us, and this world, into new Jerusalem. God’s house is a primary means of getting our minds focused on that spectacular future. The auditorium has a message of hope for a world that is ready to crash and burn. “The Eternal has chosen Jerusalem” is like the theme of this house! This house is about eternity—the eternity of His chosen city. It points us to the future eternal temple in Jerusalem!

A City From Heaven

The Laodicean era is the last era of God’s Church before Christ’s return. The preceding era is the Philadelphia era (Revelation 3:7-13)—but there are Philadelphians all the way up to the very end. That is because those who remain faithful to God during the Laodicean falling away, God calls Philadelphians. True Philadelphians hold fast to the very end.

Think deeply on this tremendous promise God makes to His loyal Philadelphians, those who avoid the spiritual trap of the Laodiceans: “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name” (verse 12). New Jerusalem is the name of the city God will establish on Earth after the thousand-year rule of Jesus Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment (we will study this deeply in Chapter 7). God, and His Family with Him, will rule from Jerusalem forever!

God tells us here that His Philadelphians have their minds on new Jerusalem! These people look beyond a city on Earth today, all the way to a city that “cometh down out of heaven from my God.” And for that, they will have the name of new Jerusalem written upon them! How many churches or eras does God say that to? Only to the small remnant that have clung to His precious truth.

God is going to keep that remnant at headquarters forever! These saints will be stationed at Jerusalem headquarters forever. “[H]e [each Philadelphian] shall go no more out ….” God makes it personal for each one of us! What is it worth to you to be at headquarters with God for eternity, serving with Jesus Christ? That is a special honor and responsibility. Most of God’s own people have become lukewarm today and have lost this part of their reward already. They lost the new Jerusalem vision, and Satan got to them. What an eternal price they must pay for that failure—even the 50 percent of them who repent in the Tribulation!

New Jerusalem is the crux of Revelation 3:12. God’s Philadelphians are infused with a strong vision of new Jerusalem. Think about that! These people are not even thinking about a city on Earth. Their minds are fixed on this city that comes “down out of heaven from my God.” Our Father wants His vision of new Jerusalem to consume the minds of His people.

This is the most important preparation God is making for the time when Jesus Christ will return to Jerusalem. He is building the new Jerusalem vision within the saints who will inhabit that headquarters city and rule from there with Christ!

This is the example Abraham set, who “looked for a city … whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). This city made by God is going to endure forever—and that is the tremendous hope and vision Abraham focused on.

“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy” (Psalm 137:5-6). Do you prefer Jerusalem above your chief joy? The very final stages of preparation for Jesus Christ’s rule from that city are being completed right now, and God wants you to contribute to them!

The Eternal has chosen Jerusalem. Now the Eternal’s sons must also choose Jerusalem!

Continue Reading: Chapter 6: The Last Crusade